Jasson Urbach – The best way to promote individual freedom in South Africa

This is the essay and motivation contributed by Jasson Urbach as his entry in the recent Freedomfest competition sponsored by Bob Glenister. This essay was one of the winning entries.

The best way to promote individual freedom in South Africa… is to win the hearts and minds of South Africa’s citizens and provide them with the knowledge and understanding of the benefits of individual freedom.

Despite a plethora of evidence that economically free societies are better off by virtually every measure of wellbeing than societies that are directed and controlled by a central authority, there continues to be significant opposition to ideas of political and economic freedom. Indeed, in the South African context much of the thinking still suffers from a planning paradigm and a persistent insistence that development is in a fundamental sense, up to the government rather than individuals. Those that oppose the virtues of individual freedom often use compelling anecdotes to win the “hearts” of their followers. For example, politicians continue to emphasise the need to provide further funding for “pet schemes” and to provide “essential” social services. Generally, there is little recognition that private ventures are willing and able to provide water, transportation, education, and other “public” services. And few recognise that individuals and private enterprise, as opposed to government largesse, is the real engine of economic growth.

One of the key messages is that economic growth is not hindered due to investment gaps or technological gaps but rather due to very real gaps in human liberty imposed by oppressive governments. These gaps result when leaders impose barriers on entrepreneurship, restrictions on property rights, on the ability of individuals to trade freely across borders, and on the free movement of people and capital.

Individuals that have dedicated themselves to promoting ideas about individual freedom have gained significant victories by winning the “minds” of many of today’s prominent opinion leaders with first-hand accounts of what actually “works” in development. For example, we gather theories, statistics and graphs to show why markets work, but we must do more. Experience proves that efficiency arguments are not sufficiently compelling for the majority. In addition to providing the intellectual ammunition we also need to find and relate powerful stories of individuals educating poor children, fighting disease, supplying clean water, and doing the myriad other things they do to generate wealth and improve standards of living. This is imperative to counter the very vocal claims of individuals espousing state-led growth as the most effective means to alleviate poverty.

The most effective way to promote individual freedom requires a combination of media and public debate, which targets both the “mind” (using evidence based on sound scientific knowledge) and the “heart” (using anecdotal stories that the “man on the street” can relate to). By diffusing information on “what works” it is possible to begin to reshape the belief system of policy makers and opinion leaders as well as the population in general by making “real” what to this point has only seemed abstract. Ultimately, effective reform is generated internally, by individuals within SA, who work to change their environment and who succeed in overcoming resistant vested interests.

Why I should be sent to FreedomFest?

As an employee of the Free Market Foundation I have unique access to a vast number of contacts that have been built up over the past 35 years. This provides me with distinctive advantage over other candidate’s to disseminate ideas about individual and civil liberties. I have had numerous opinion pieces placed in the popular media as well as academic journals across the globe and I have appeared on radio and television in SA. I also regularly present ideas based on individual freedom and liberty at conferences across SA.

I will incorporate the ideas and stories gathered at the FreedomFest in my opinion pieces that I regularly publish on the FMFs updates that are circulated to over 5,000 people, including all members of parliament. The contacts that I gather at the FreedomFest will also no doubt prove invaluable in the future as we expand our network. Experience tells me that a combination of media and public debate along with direct advocacy to be the most effective way of effecting change in South Africa. I am of the opinion that I could use this opportunity to gain valuable like-minded contacts (and perhaps even funding) to continue to promote the ideas of a free society in South Africa.

TED – Ideas worth spreading
TED is a small nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. Since then its scope has become ever broader.

The Independent Institute
The mission of the Independent Institute is to boldly advance peaceful, prosperous, and free societies grounded in a commitment to human worth and dignity.

The Secular Directory
This is a directory for organisations concerned with secular humanism where you will find links to the vast and growing community of reason, including atheist, agnostic, bright, freethought, humanist, naturalist, skeptic, and others.

Advocates for Self Government
Since 1985, the Advocates for Self-Government has worked to bring about a free society by empowering those who love liberty to become highly successful at taking the ideas of individual freedom and responsibility, free markets, and peace to the world.

African Liberty
Atlas Economic Research Foundation and IMANI’s African-focused program

Canadian Libertarian Party
The Vision of the Libertarian Party is for Canada to be a place where Limited Government and Personal Responsibility are recognized and established as the basis of society.

Cato Institute
The Cato Institute is a think tank dedicated to the principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets and peace.

Dr Mary J. Ruwart
Dr. Ruwart is the author of HEALING OUR WORLD: THE OTHER PIECE OF THE PUZZLE, hailed by Visions Magazine as “what may be the most important book of the decade.”

FreedomFest
FreedomFest is an annual festival where free minds meet to celebrate “great books, great ideas, and great thinkers” in an open-minded society.

Health Policy Unit
dedicated to promoting a sound economic and business-friendly policy approach to the provision and funding of health care

Institute for Humane Studies
an institute devoted to research and education in the conviction that greater understanding of human affairs and freedom would foster peace, prosperity, and social harmony.

InterLibertarians
INTERLIBERTARIANS is the international association of whatever movements and parties share the fundamental Libertarian goals:

The Vega Five
The blog for the 5 winners of the Freedomfest essay competition.

Social Media Links

#FreeSA – LiPSA – Libertarian Party of SA
This group is a public forum administrated by the Libertarian Party of South Africa in order to promote the concept of a #FreeSA and the workings of the Swarm system.

About Libertarianism
This Page is automatically generated based on what Facebook users are interested in, and not affiliated with or endorsed by anyone associated with the topic.